Justice Carved in Stone

The Code of Hammurabi was not the world's first law code, but it was the most comprehensive of the ancient world. Inscribed on a black basalt stele standing over two meters tall, its 282 laws covered everything from property disputes and medical malpractice to divorce and wages.

King Hammurabi, who ruled Babylon from roughly 1792 to 1750 BCE, placed copies in public spaces so anyone could see the law — a radical idea in an age when rulers usually governed by personal decree.

The original stele was later seized by an Elamite king around 1155 BCE and carried off to Susa as a war trophy.